Ballet dancers wear shoes specifically designed for ballet. These shoes permit the dancer to stand on the tips of their toes, which is referred to as dancing en pointe. Thus, these shoes are referred to as pointe shoes.
Pointe shoes have a box or block at the toes. The box covers the toes and provides support to stand en pointe. The pointe shoe also typically has an upper, a sole and a shank. The sole is on the bottom and the outside of the shoe. The sole extends from the toe to the heel and is usually made of leather. The sole is attached to the upper. The upper is often made of satin and surrounds the upper portion of the foot. The shank is a stiff material on the inside of the shoe which extends along the bottom of the foot above the sole.
One of the problems with pointe shoes is that they are too rigid in the center of the shoe between the toe and the heel. Often, the dancer needs to break in a shoe to obtain flexibility. A dancer may put the shoe in a vise or between a door and door jamb, and bend the shoe until the shoe becomes flexible.
There is a need for a pointe shoe which provides the proper support and is also more flexible.